This invention relates to an image forming apparatus for developing an electrostatic image or a magnetic latent image in an electrophotographic method, an electrostatic printing method, or a magnetic recording method. In particular, this invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising a fixing device provided with a cleaning device.
In the heat fixing system using a roller for copying machines and multifunction peripherals (MFPs) of recent years, various kinds of cleaning rollers such as a felt roller, a metal roller, etc. are employed as a cleaning member. Among them, a metal roller having a surface coating of the same resin or the same series of resin as that of toner as described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 61-67070 (1986) for example is excellent in cleanability to toner dirt in the contamination of fixing.
However, since the cause for generating image noise in recent years is mainly due to paper dust which will be generated as cheap paper is used in large quantities, a cleaning roller having a resin coating is accompanied with the problem that it can be easily covered, on its surface, with the paper dust within a short period of time to shorten its useful life because of its excellent cleanability.